OMSA hires Manager of Jones Act Compliance

The Offshore Marine Service Association (OMSA) has hired an experienced investigator to collect evidence on foreign vessels that violate the Jones Act.

Joe Kavanaugh has been hired as Manager of Jones Act Compliance. OMSA says that in this role he "will actively track the activities of foreign vessels working in the offshore oil and gas industry, determine whether those vessels are cheating on the Jones Act and work with enforcement agencies to punish violators."

OMSA says that hiring Kavanaugh is "the next step in a multi-year effort to make sure that foreign entities, customers and Federal officials within the Coast Guard, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security understand that the Jones Act is vital to national security and to the economic well-being of coastal areas and U.S. maritime companies."

"While a number of associations have launched similar initiatives to enforce copyright and product piracy laws, this is the first time that we are aware of a maritime group taking this step to ensure enforcement of the Jones Act, still a critically important maritime law," said , OMSA President Ken Wells. "Creating this position sends a strong signal that our country will not allow new offshore energy exploration jobs to go to foreign entities illegally," he continued.

OMSA says Kavanaugh has many years of experience in enforcing Coast Guard and Customs regulations, working for the U.S. Coast Guard, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and others. He has been actively involved in investigating smuggling, immigration and drug cases, as well as maritime law violations. He also has also worked as a vessel captain, giving him a unique ability to work with the maritime industry to identify and investigate Jones Act violations and then collect the necessary evidence to make cases against violators.